Latest news with #SeanONeill
Skift
a day ago
- Business
- Skift
Hilton's Strategy Shift, Spirit's Furloughs and Sri Lanka's Fee Drop
On today's pod, we look at Hilton's biz travel shift, Spirit's pilot troubles, and Sri Lanka's fig leaf to travelers. Skift Daily Briefing Podcast Listen to the day's top travel stories in under four minutes every weekday. Listen to the day's top travel stories in under four minutes every weekday. Skift Travel Podcasts Good morning from Skift. It's Tuesday, July 29. Here's what you need to know about the business of travel today. Hilton has made changes to its corporate travel strategy, targeting small- and medium-sized businesses as part of its push to increase direct bookings, writes Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O'Neill. Travelers from those businesses now account for 85% of Hilton's corporate bookings, up from 76% in 2019. O'Neill notes the shift has been fueled both by faster post-pandemic recovery among smaller companies and Hilton's targeted outreach. The hotel giant last year launched Hilton for Business, a platform designed to deepen direct customer ties. Hilton also recently introduced a messaging platform across its global portfolio, enabling business travelers to communicate directly with hotels before, during, and after their stays. Listen to This Podcast Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Youtube | RSS Next, Spirit Airlines said on Monday it would furlough 270 pilots and reduce its flight schedule, writes Airlines Reporter Meghna Maharishi. Spirit said it was taking those steps as part of its efforts to return to profitability after exiting Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March. The furloughs will go into effect on November 1, and they come after the carrier furloughed 186 pilots last year partly due to Pratt & Whitney engine issues grounding part of its fleet. In addition, Spirit's pilots' union said 140 pilots will be downgraded to first officer, changes that will take effect October 1. Finally, Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia explains how Sri Lanka is making it easier for inbound tourists from 40 countries. The country is planning to removing all fees for visas from countries including the United States, Canada, Germany, and others, but it will still require foreigners to obtain them before entering the country. Sri Lanka has an ambitious goal to increase tourism to 3 million visitors in 2025, an increase of nearly 50% over 2024 numbers. The visa fee waiver expands on a smaller program rolled out in March 2023 that offered free 30-day visas on arrival for seven countries, including India, China, and Russia, provided travelers applied for electronic travel authorization in advance. Until now, most tourists outside South Asia have paid $50-60 for a short-stay visa.
The Independent
21-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
ME care reforms promised after woman's tragic death
The government has pledged to overhaul care for hundreds of thousands of people living with chronic fatigue syndrome, acknowledging that many "struggle" to access appropriate support. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) stated its intention to publish a new plan, asserting it is "committed to changing attitudes and transforming care" for individuals with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis /Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). She had suffered with ME for a decade before dying at her home in Exeter in October 2021 from severe malnutrition. Her inquest revealed she had been admitted to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital three times in the year of her death for malnutrition treatment. The 10-day hearing detailed her final months, during which she was confined to bed, unable to chew food, and struggled to drink due to being unable to sit up. Miss Boothby-O'Neill, the daughter of Sean O'Neill, a journalist with The Times newspaper, had been suffering from fatigue since the age of 13, which got worse after she completed her A-levels. Deborah Archer, now an area coroner for Devon, Plymouth and Torbay, concluded Miss Boothby-O'Neill had died from natural causes 'because of severe myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME)'. Last year she wrote to the Government to highlight a lack of specialist beds, 'extremely limited' training for doctors and lack of available funding for research and treatment of the condition. On Tuesday, the Government said that it has created a plan which 'outlines clear steps to improve care for patients, by investing in research and offering access to care in the community'. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) acknowledged that many people with the condition 'currently struggle to access appropriate care tailored to their complex condition'. The plan, which is expected to be published on Tuesday, will include new training for NHS workers, DHSC said. And the document will also include funding for research, the DHSC said. Public health minister Ashley Dalton, said: 'ME/CFS is a debilitating illness that can severely limit patients' ability to participate in everyday activities, maintain employment, or enjoy family and social life. 'Today's plan will help tackle the stigma and lack of awareness of this condition through improved training for NHS staff. 'And through our neighbourhood health services, we will ensure patients suffering from the effects of ME/CFS can access quality care, closer to home, as pledged in our 10-Year Health Plan. But Action for ME said that the plan 'does not go far enough'. Sonya Chowdhury, chief executive of the charity, said: 'We appreciate the time DHSC has put into the delivery plan and their engagement with us and the ME community throughout. 'However, the plan simply does not go far enough. We are at the stage now where we need more than rhetoric, we need to take a strategic approach if we want a different outcome. What is proposed in the plan will not offer this. 'We must have a funded, dedicated research hub to leverage our world-leading life sciences sector to unlock treatments and ultimately cures for ME. 'Without a commitment to better co-ordinate research, people with ME will continue to be neglected, overlooked and, for many, confined to their homes. 'ME charities have been calling for this funding to be accelerated for years and we are still not seeing a strategic approach to address this historic shortfall. Once again, it feels like people with ME have been ignored.'
Skift
10-07-2025
- Business
- Skift
U.S. Tourism Drops, Marriott Eyes Outdoors and Airlines Brace for Tepid Earnings
On today's pod we look at the U.S.'s waning international appeal, Marriott's great outdoors brand, and warnings about airlines' earnings. Skift Daily Briefing Podcast Listen to the day's top travel stories in under four minutes every weekday. Listen to the day's top travel stories in under four minutes every weekday. Skift Travel Podcasts Good morning from Skift. It's Thursday, July 10. Here's what you need to know about the business of travel today. Inbound tourism to the U.S. is struggling as the sector's slump continued in June, reports Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O'Neill. Visits to the U.S. from overseas dropped 3.4% from last year, according to preliminary figures released Wednesday by the National Travel and Tourism Office. Arrivals from roughly half of the U.S.' top 20 inbound markets declined, including 8% from India and 5.5% from France. June's inbound tourist volume was 80% of 2019 figures, data that O'Neill notes excludes arrivals from Canada and Mexico. Listen to This Podcast Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Youtube | RSS Next, Marriott has filed 12 trademark applications worldwide since April for a new brand called 'Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy,' a sign of the hotel giant's push into outdoor recreation, write Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O'Neill and Middle East Reporter Josh Corder. Marriott said last December it had plans to launch an outdoor-focused collection in 2025. Several of the countries where Marriott filed trademarks have thriving outdoor recreation scenes, including Costa Rica, Iceland, and Australia. One of the filings reveals several possible services, including wedding ceremonies and guided outdoor adventure tours. Finally, airlines face a murky outlook ahead of earnings season as economic uncertainty continues to weigh down on consumers, writes Airlines Reporter Meghna Maharishi. Wall Street analysts widely anticipate airlines to report stable demand. However, Maharishi notes that demand will be down from previous projections for the year. Southwest CEO Bob Jordan said airlines were starting to sell discounted summer fares, which he said is unusual for the industry during a high-demand season. One analyst said that second-quarter results would be 'largely in line with expectations, but far from memorable.'
CBC
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Mr. Dressup actor and musician Beverly Glenn-Copeland brings 'pure love' back to the screen with kids TV pilot
When Beverly Glenn-Copeland and his partner Elizabeth first conceived of a new children's TV show a few years ago, they set out to teach kids about caring for the planet, the importance of community and adapting to change. A few years into the process, after a vision was developed, characters were fleshed out and a pilot was shot, they realized the lessons, especially around adaptation, were also for them. Glenn-Copeland, who goes by Glenn, was diagnosed with major cognitive disorder. With the beloved Canadian musician, trans elder and long-time actor on Mr. Dressup as the star of the new show, Caring Cabin, the diagnosis paused further work on the project. It also put the question they were asking kids to reflect on back to them: How do you accept a challenge and let it change you? "That's exactly what we were trying to do in the show," said producer Sean O'Neill, reflecting on the turn of events. "These challenges are going to come that are real. The kinds of challenges that kids face, right? Like losing a friend. You know, we weren't going to shy away from themes of loss and death and joy and, you know, family… What we were trying to do with the show was to give kids tools to hold the difficulties of life, not to paper them over." Glenn, Elizabeth and O'Neill are joining other crew members at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Lightbox for a special screening of the pilot Saturday. As of July 1, it is also now available to stream on the Criterion Channel. The plan for the show may have changed but the team is still eager to share it with the world. "We've had time to grieve. Now we're just excited, you know?" O'Neill told CBC Hamilton earlier this week, in a conversation with Glenn and Elizabeth, who have been living in Hamilton for over a year. 'This is his medium' It was back in 2020, in the early days of the pandemic, when Elizabeth called O'Neill with the idea. She had just watched Glenn do an online concert. "I was watching this beautiful human… All you could see in the frame was his face and he was singing to us all. And what was coming out of the screen was just pure love… And I thought, oh my god, this is his medium," she said. "He's wonderful at many things but all of a sudden, this vision for this children's show came fully formed into my mind." The idea was a blend of many of Glenn's talents. He spent two decades as a regular on CBC Television's Mr. Dressup. He's also known for his "transcendent" vocals and songwriting — both for children and for the handful of jazz, folk and electronic music albums he's released over the years. O'Neill previously collaborated with Glenn for an episode of In the Making, where they travelled to Japan after his 1986 album Keyboard Fantasies found new life there around 2016. The album was awarded the Slaight Polaris Heritage Prize in 2020 and a new version of opening track Ever New with British singer Sam Smith and Glenn was released last year. Glenn is also a practising Buddhist. Elizabeth, meanwhile, brings her knowledge of the natural world, climate activism and poet's sensibilities into the Caring Cabin project. The two of them have years of creative collaboration under their belt, including running a theatre school in New Brunswick together. The result is a show rooted in what O'Neill calls "Elizabeth and Glennergy" — complete with a cast of animal friends in puppet form. "I'm a child at heart," said Glenn, now 81, chuckling. "So… I just love puppets, and constantly have slews of puppets. So there you go." WATCH | Beverly Glenn-Copeland hosts new children's TV show, Caring Cabin: Clip from Caring Cabin 6 hours ago Duration 1:54 The 11-minute pilot is a window into the larger world the team created for the show, with music from Glenn, characters like Fred the squirrel, the wilderness setting and exploration of life lessons. The trio describe the show as one that parents would sit down with their kids to watch, not "plop their kids in front of," and one that emphasizes interdependence and connection. "Glenn really insisted through the process that he has as much to learn from the young characters as they do from him. And we had a whole plan for episodes where Glenn would be struggling and the young people would help him, and that spirit of intergenerational exchange was part of our process," O'Neill said. "I just saw it as an opportunity to learn things from the kids. I always learn things from kids," Glenn added. Saturday's screening will be special, bringing much of the crew back together. "We're all just looking forward to gathering with a group of people and sharing this gem that we spent four years working on," O'Neill said. "The energy in that room when we made the [pilot], I still go there sometimes in my imagination," Elizabeth said. A tour and new projects, music next Elizabeth and Glenn are hopeful the show's fuller concept may be realized, albeit in a different form. "We think maybe there is a way for us to take [ Caring Cabin ] forward," said Elizabeth. In the meantime, the pair have a series of tour dates in the UK and Europe set for October, where they will play Glenn's back catalogue and new music. Events in Hamilton are also likely in the fall, Elizabeth said, adding that Glenn is in a new creative chapter. "Glenn is in some ways even more himself. So maybe he can't remember sequences of things… but he is still building neural pathways, writing music in different ways, and he is even more in the present moment." Glenn said letting go of expectations has been freeing, in fact, and has prompted new art. "I've always been one of those people that sought perfection… almost in everything, and you know how grinding that is. Well, now I can't do it, folks," he said.
Skift
25-06-2025
- Business
- Skift
Spirit's JetBlue Complaint, Carnival's Splashy Marketing and Antarctica's Climate Risks
On today's pod we look at Spirit's pushback on JetBlue's new beau, Carnival's marketing success, and the influencers threatening Antarctica. Skift Daily Briefing Podcast Listen to the day's top travel stories in under four minutes every weekday. Listen to the day's top travel stories in under four minutes every weekday. Skift Travel Podcasts Good morning from Skift. It's Wednesday, June 25. Here's what you need to know about the business of travel today. Spirit Airlines is calling on the U.S. government to reject a proposed JetBlue-United partnership, writes Airlines Reporter Meghna Maharishi. Spirit said in a complaint to the Department of Transportation filed on Tuesday that the partnership — known as 'Blue Sky' — 'raises serious competition and public interest questions.' Spirit also said that Blue Sky is similar to the Northeast Alliance, JetBlue's partnership with American Airlines that was struck down in the courts on the grounds it was anticompetitive. JetBlue has criticized Spirit's decision to file a complaint, and said in a statement to Skift that it is still a competitor to United. Listen to This Podcast Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Youtube | RSS Next, Carnival says its aggressive marketing efforts and exclusive private islands can help it sustain high pricing, writes Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O'Neill. O'Neill reports Carnival's marketing blitzes during major events — including this year's Oscars — are paying off for the company. Bookings by both new-to-cruise guests and repeat customers were up double-digit percentages during the second quarter. CEO Josh Weinstein credited the increased marketing spend for supporting record prices and onboard spending. In addition, Carnival has invested significantly in exclusive destinations to distinguish itself and collect more guest spending that would otherwise go to other businesses at local ports of call. Finally, TikTok influencers have helped boost tourism to Antarctica, but that surge in visitors has raised concerns from environmentalists, writes Climate Reporter Darin Graham. Graham notes a record 130,000 people visited Antarctica last season, a number researchers predict will keep increasing. Swan Hellenic, a cruise company operating trips to Antarctica, credits social media in part for its 25% growth in guest numbers during the most recent season. However, Graham writes that Antarctic tourism is one of the highest carbon-impact travel activities as a single trip can exceed the annual carbon footprint of the average individual. In addition, scientists say the tendency of travelers to visit during the short Antarctic summer amplifies tourism's environmental impact.
